To celebrate the return of one of Norfolk's North Norfolk's finest broadcasters we pick out 10 things you need to know about Alan Partridge.

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1. Alan Gordon Partridge was born in 1955 to Dorothy Partridge at King's Lynn's Queen Elizabeth Hospital. His arrival coincided with Anthony Eden being named Prime Minister and Chelsea securing the First Division title. Alan spent much of his childhood in Norwich, but freely admits to experiencing difficulties with his emotionally distant father. He was also the victim of school bullying by classmates, who frequently taunted him with cries of "Smelly Alan Fartridge".

2. Alan began his media career DJing on hospital radio before winning a job as a sports reporter for the BBC's current affairs programme The Day Today. His idiosyncratic approach to football commentary caught the attention of the broadcaster's top brass, and in 1994 he fronted his own chat show Knowing Me, Knowing You.

After just one season and a Christmas special, the show was cancelled when Alan accidentally discharged a duelling pistol into restaurant critic Forbes McAllister, killing him instantly. Speaking about the incident years later in a Five Live interview with Richard Bacon, Alan insisted that he wasn't still "haunted" by the tragedy. "Haunt is a very powerful world," he said. "Niggle? Niggle with an 'ie'... Yes it does niggle me, but not haunt."

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3. Alan has two children - Fernando and Denise - from his marriage to Carol. Describing their births in 2011 autobiography I, Partridge: We Need to Talk About Alan, he wrote: "I looked up at the starry night and knew what I must do. I closed my eyes and began to sing very, very quietly, for the first time, to my infant son. 'There was something in the air that night, the stars were bright, Fernando, They were shining there for you and me...'

"I also have a daughter, whose birth invoked similar feelings."

4. Alan counts Kriss Akabusi, Bill Oddie, Sue Cook, Richard Hammond and Eamonn Holmes among his celebrity friends. Alan describes Holmes as "marvellous company, but he does get very bad tempered if he hasn't had a feed".

5. Following his divorce from Carol and the axing of Knowing Me, Knowing You, Alan spent an extended period of time residing at the Linton Travel Tavern while he presented a late-night/early morning show on Radio Norwich.

He formed a firm friendship with one of the hotel's staff, a Geordie called Michael, and developed his own "kettle cuisine" involving Cup-a-Soups, Pot Noodles and, with use of the refrigerated minibar, was able to satisfy his cravings for jelly.

6. Alan is the author of two books: Bouncing Back and I, Partridge. The former autobiography was met with disdain from critics, who noted that he closed most anecdotes with the words "Needless to say, I had the last laugh."

Bouncing Back was pulped after poor sales, but I, Partridge fared better and even warranted an audiobook version. Alan voiced the book himself after Trevor Eve turned the job down and both Ainsley Harriott and John Stapleton were deemed inappropriate.

7. Alan experienced a mental breakdown at the turn of the millennium after the collapse of his company Pear Tree Productions. At his lowest, Alan drove barefoot to Dundee while feasting on Toblerone and had to be rescued by his loyal assistant Lynn Benfield. He recalled being "medically addicted" to the chocolate bar, but was able to kick the habit when he realised that he was "clinically fed up" and "repellent to women".

8. Roger Moore's James Bond outing The Spy Who Loved Me is Alan's favourite movie of all time. While living in a static home as his house was being renovated, Alan held a 24-hour Bondathon with his personal assistant Lynn, Michael, truck driver Tex and his then-girlfriend Sonja (14 years his junior).

9. Some of Alan's lesser-known works include military-based quiz show Skirmish, car accident stocking filler Crash! Bang! Wallop!... What a Video and Welcome to the Places of My Life, a documentary about his hometown of Norwich. He sold the gameshow idea Monkey Tennis to broadcasters in Taiwan and Laos, where it experienced a successful two-year run.

10. Alan currently hosts the Mid Morning Matters show on radio station North Norfolk Digital, offering him the chance to "hang out 'n' chill' with the MySpace generation". Alan is often assisted by "Side-kick" Simon and Zoe, while the show features segments such as 'Simply the Best of Norfolk' and 'Tuesday Chat' (in which Alan interviews himself).